U.S. confirms 226 A/H1N1 flu cases in 30 states

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Xinhua) -- A total of 226 human A/H1N1 flu cases have been confirmed in 30 U.S. states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Sunday.

The only person that has so far died of the H1N1 flu virus is a Mexican toddler who was visiting relatives in Texas, said the CDC.

According to the center, the State of New York has reported 63 confirmed cases of the H1N1, followed by 40 of Texas, 26 of California, 18 of Arizona and 15 of South Carolina.

The number of confirmed cases on Saturday was 160 in 21 states.

As of Friday, at least 430 schools in the United States had temporarily closed, while the CDC suggested more schools "should consider" sending students home if campuses have one or more cases of the new strain of influenza.

In his weekly radio address on Saturday, President Barack Obama told the public that his administration is confronting the epidemic's outbreak, vowing to take all necessary precautions in case the virus turn into "something worse."

The administration also continue its public relation campaign on Sunday by sending Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and acting CDC Director Richard E. Besser to all five major TV talk shows.

Costa Rica's first A/H1N1 flu case confirmed

SAN JOSE, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Saturday the first case of influenza A/H1N1 flu in Costa Rica, Costa Rican Health Minister Maria Luisa Avila said.

"Today I got a phone call from the CDC to confirm that one of the possible cases we sent to analyze is of H1N1 flu virus, but due to professional reasons I can not said which one of the cases of," Avila told Xinhua.

However, local media said that the patient with H1N1 flu virus is a college student of 21 years old, who returned to the country from Mexico one week ago.

"Now we have two new possible cases which were sent to be analyzed by the CDC. We hope to have the results of these tests in the coming 48 hours," Avila said.

Avila said that in the coming 72 hours Costa Rica will receive genetic material of the virus from the CDC, so the new lab tests could be done in the country.

"The CDC said that Costa Rica will have priority on this, for being the first Latin American country, besides Mexico, which has got a case of H1N1 flu virus confirmed," Avila said.